wolfy9005

Depends what you mean i guess. Obsidian is pretty tough and sharp, but it would break as a sword(like glass). Need something with flexibility and sharpness, something along the lines of damasus(genuine) blades. They contained vanadium, i believe.

Knowing isnt illegal. It is perfectly legal to know how to manufacture this or that, but just dont admit to putting it into practice.

Normal knife is just as fast to open. and it's alot safer, so i dont see the point of using a switchblade anyway. I have a little knife somewhere that you can open with 1 hand.

Copper - Wikipedia i stand corrected, i read boiling point, not melting point Aluminium - Wikipedia for this i was going from memory but i guess i was thinking about refinement from bauxite i apologize for posting incorrect information, but it was late and i didnt wanna do a 5 second search :/

i think a little acid would cause the oil to be suspended in the water, but the acid might be adverse to the quenching process......

Battery acid ie. sulfuric acid. careful that it's cold, they use boiling h2so4 to test how resistant metals are to acid by dropping them into it and counting how long it lasts. I think they usually last a few seconds :P

Nice blade Ive seen alot of pattern welded blades around but this definately knocks them off.

I agree that a sander/buffer is faster and easier, but 1 little laps in concentration and you can potentially ruin a few week(or months) work. Just stick with the sand paper and leather/newspaper approach. You can always use a low speed drill with a buffing wheel attached and just control the amount you push down. You can always finish with the leather/newspaper step if you want.

whats the melting point of the alloy? i know copper is around 2500C and aluminium either 1000C or 2000C(not sure, but they add something to it in manufacture and it reduces it's melting temp) and silver is even lower. So i guess silver solder would be your only way, unless the melting point is found to be higher(ie. manageable with a small gas torch)

unbeleivable they just look so new and shiny, makes me wish i knew how to make them as good as you do :)

thanks for the reply, heading over there now :P

perhaps but you'd have to keep the heat low. the al i had was of unknown purity, and i was using an oxy torch to heat it(they burn around 3500C). Maybe a proper forge would work also, i read those after doing some looking in the site thanks

Small spoons would've been used extensively for measuring spices. never heard of a teaspoon? 1/8th of a teaspoon measurements are common in many dishes, and from the looks of things those little spoons would be perfect for it. And besides, why whittle a piece of bone with a razor sharp knife when it could splinter and ruin your hands day? Only takes 2 minutes to make the spoon. The nobles might've used bone, but silver was easier and you can use a horn as a cup to hold water

For the things to hold a cigarette you could put them into the bar before you bend it with a chisel with and end in a ) shape. If their stable enough you can use them to hold hot pots and saucepans in your kitchen(to protect the bench)

those little men are awesome i wanna learn how to make them now You could make miniature hammers/tongs with them and sell them at shows and stuff.(or miniature anvils, sort of like paper weights i guess)

yeh i might just do that. maybe not today, but next week. depends what time i finish work i guess(might be midnight, might be 2am......depends)

Im surprised there isnt an armorers sub-forum(it's late and i might not've seen it), so i might aswell ask here. Anyone have any experience making plate armors? If so, are you willing to share your informations with me? thanks in advance

light film of oil for long storage periods, but if you use it every day it shouldnt get rusty. a stiff wire brush will fix it otherwise. wd40 also seems to be the standard method

Depends how high, but i'll say use "I" beams 10mm thick, and aslong as you want high. Then make a base for the anvil to sit on, weld it all together and walla, an anvil stand. If the ground is concrete and quite smooth it is easy to push along the ground. The edges can be rounded to increase movability. As for the crowbar moving it, it's archimedes principle. i think he one said "give me a big enough fulcrum and i'll move the world" You could also use cinder blocks, and just stick your anvil on top.

hey been 1 year since last posting in here, was looking for more information on the B.A.W.A. Im 17 turning 18 next month and am pretty interested in blacksmithing.(dunno why i want to be a chef.....).

Metal fume fever - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia sorry for double post but this might be more relevant http://iforgeiron.com/forum/f35/zinc-1719/index2.html also found this

Irritating(maybe poisonous) zinc fumes, and can affect the weld. Just use a piece of sand paper to clean up the weld a little and you should be good to go. Zinc - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Magnesium need more then a match to light. A simple blowtorch is enough to ignite the thermite. Thermite burns very roughly though. It leaves behind a slag of aluminum and iron which you have to remove, and it has a habbit of leaving an uneven cut. Try and get hold of an oxy torch. If it has a decent enough cutting tip it shouldnt leave too much work cleaning it. Thermite burns around 3000C, creates alot of smoke, and can shoot slag out of it(which will burn through your skin very easily, it'll hit the bone and stay there, making an expensive operation to remove). Better to be safe then sorry, and use your common sense in all occasions

Just a quick question, but how would you go about turning an old file(say a bastard file ~6mm thick and 350-400mm long) into a decent, sharp knife? Would i have to soften(forgot the term....it's late, gimme a break) it then re harden it or just grind it sharp with an angle grinder? Im thinking it would have to be kept cool to stop it heating upand ruining its desirable features(strong, keeps it's edge) but it isnt very flexible. Any advice will be appreciated.

A sword should have a perfect balance of hardness and flexibility. Im a complete n00b at blacksmithing, but i'd say salt water. It's more dense then oil and water, so it can absorb a fair amount of heat and disperse it well. Or politician blood :P